S.C. Beira-Mar
Portuguese sports club based in Aveiro, founded in 1922.
Sport Club Beira-Mar, from Aveiro, Portugal, fields a football side now in the fourth-tier Campeonato de Portugal after winning the Aveiro FA First Division in 2018/19. The club counts former Portugal internationals Eusébio, António Veloso, and António Sousa among its famous alumni.
Quick Facts
- Clubname
- Beira-Mar
- Fullname
- Sport Clube Beira-Mar
- Nickname
- Auri-negros (Gold-and-Blacks)
- Founded
- 31 December 1922
- Ground
- Estádio Municipal de Aveiro
- Capacity
- 32,830
- Chairman
- Nuno Quintaneiro
- Manager
- Fabeta
Facts from the source article.
History
Beira-Mar was founded on 1 January 1922. The club first reached the top division in 1961, staying only one season, and later enjoyed a spell in the top flight from 1971 to 1974. In the 1976–77 campaign, former Benfica and Portugal legend Eusébio signed for Beira-Mar, requesting to be excluded from matches against Benfica; injuries limited his appearances, and the season ended in relegation. In 1988 the club returned to the Primeira Divisão, remaining there for most of the following years and achieving a best-ever sixth-place finish in the 1990/91 top league season, also reaching the cup final that year. In 1999 Beira-Mar again reached the Taça de Portugal final, defeating Campomaiorense 1–0 to win the trophy; the goal was scored by Ricardo Sousa, son of coach António Sousa, who had played for the club in the 1970s. Despite this honour, the team was relegated at season's end. As the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup had been discontinued, Beira-Mar entered the 1999–2000 UEFA Cup, losing 1–2 on aggregate to Dutch club Vitesse. Domestically, the club finished second in the second division and returned to the top flight. On 23 February 2002, Beira-Mar won 3–2 away against FC Porto, managed by a young José Mourinho; it would be his last home defeat in the following decade. In 2006, former European Golden Shoe winner Mário Jardel signed a one-year contract with Beira-Mar; he scored on his official debut but later lost importance and transferred to a club in Cyprus. In 2007 the club was relegated after a campaign that included the sacking of manager Carlos Carvalhal, replaced by Francisco Soler following a deal with Spanish-based company Inverfutbol. In 2010 Beira-Mar won the second division and returned to the top flight after three years away. In 2013 the team was relegated to the second division after finishing last. In 2015, despite finishing tenth, Beira-Mar was demoted by administrative decree to the second-lowest league of the Aveiro FA district, the fifth overall level, due to financial difficulties and debt.
Stadiums
From 1935 until 2019, Beira-Mar played home matches at Estádio Mário Duarte, a 12,000-seat ground in the city center. During this period the club occasionally used the new Municipal Stadium, built for the 2004 Euro Championship. After the 2015 relegation, the old stadium's ease of access helped the team recover its support base. Due to city planning requiring the expansion of Aveiro's main regional hospital, the area occupied by Estádio Mário Duarte was needed, and the city authorities reached a deal for the club to use Estádio Municipal de Aveiro. This modern 32,830-seat stadium, built for the 2004 Euro Championship, is undergoing further development by the Aveiro Football Association for training facilities and a football academy. However, its location about 5 km outside the city limits next to the highway, with no public transportation or shuttle services, made it unpopular with supporters, who preferred the old stadium's cosiness and accessibility. Local authorities are studying a shuttle service scheme incorporating metropolitan bus services for match days, and a passenger link from Aveiro railway station using the existing Vouga railway line, which passes a few hundred meters from the stadium, could become a future possibility.
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